This week the Netflix queue served up some unexpected laughs.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) is so far outside of my usual high brow fare of Academy Award nominated films that my expectations were quite low. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the movie captured my memories of those heady college days back in the 80's. I really enjoyed the way the movie took the over used tropes of ski movies / Back to the Future / wish fulfillment themes and made something fresh and very often really funny. Of course you can't ever have a flashback to the 80's without references to big hair, splashes of bright colors, MUSIC television, and Michael Jackson jokes. A couple of times I laughed so hard, I actually spit on myself. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of really sophomoric locker room-style jokes, but they seem somehow fresh with a few really funny running gags throughout the story. So, suspend your disbelief, strip down and jump into the hot tub for a good laugh. Two thumbs up for Rob Corddry and 80's creepster Crispin Glover.
Rating: 3 illegal Russian energy drinks out of 5
I Love You Man (2009) - When I am on the "Smart and Witty" aisle at the husband store and they are fresh out of NPH, I immediately reach for a Paul Rudd. So if only for the eye-candy, I was looking forward to this flick. And, once again I was somewhat surprised. It was very predictable, but the premise was really quite interesting; what happens when you don't have any guy friends to staff your side of the wedding party? Rudd's character suffers from too much nice with a touch of terminal uncool, but that is part of the charm. When he meets Jason Segel they hit it off and the usual boy meets girl story turns into a "bromantic comedy." There are no real belly laughs here, and there is some salty language, but it was an enjoyable couple of hours.
Rating: 3 of the best fish tacos in the world out of 5
The House of Yes (1997) was a Netflix suggestion based on my penchant for quirky, independent, dark comedies. The cast was promising (Parker Posey, Freddie Prinze Jr, Genevieve Bujold), but the movie had a "filmed play" feel about it - almost like a bad made for television movie, but without a soundtrack. I can see where, as a theatrical production, this would be much more interesting and intimate, but as a film, it fell flat. The delivery of the dialogue was clipped and unnatural - I think a laugh track would have maybe helped slow it down to a more natural rhythm. There was not much humor here, but there was a lot of uncomfortably creepy moments (think Flowers in the Attic, which strangely is not a even a spoiler, making it even creepier). Best line: "A mother doesn't spy. A mother pays attention."
Rating: 2 pink pill box hats out of 5
Coming up next in the queue - another silly comedy, a 1950's classic, and a retelling of 1984. Stay tuned.
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